The present invention generally relates to rotors of vertical shaft impact crushers, also known as vertical shaft impactors, and specifically provides a liner for such a rotor having at least one wear resistant liner insert positioned to maximize liner life.
Vertical shaft impact crushers operate on the principle of accelerating the rock or mineral material radially outwardly and causing it to impact against a target which will cause the rock to fracture. This operation is accomplished through the use of an axially rotating multi-chambered or pocketed rotor which receives the mineral material through a central opening, and then accelerates the material and ejects it from each chamber along a trajectory defined by a vertical vane.
In that one of the greatest costs associated with the operation of a vertical impactor is the replacement/repair of worn or consumed components, the minimization of abrasive wear in specified components has been a long-standing design objective. Commonly-assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,575,014 discloses that the floor of each of the rotor chambers must be protected from such abrasion, and that such protection may take the form of a replaceable wear plate or liner.
Rotor liners are typically subjected to concentrated wear along a relatively narrow path defined by the trajectory of material flowing through the rotor pockets. This concentrated wear usually results in wasted material, as the unworn portions of the liner must be discarded once the concentrated wear becomes unacceptable. Operational costs are substantial here, in that the liners are made of expensive cast iron alloy, and the relatively rapid wear in the concentrated wear zone requires frequent replacement of liners.
Thus, there is a need for a rotor liner which is more durable than liners currently available.